Time is not on my side.

There is not enough time in the day. No, the evening, not enough time in the evening. I have a lot of time during the day, doing my job and wishing I could be somewhere else doing something I like doing. If only I could get paid to write and cook and bake and be funny. I have sooo much to do before Friday and I am running out of time. I am going to a "Gold" party on Friday, well it is an Open House for my friends Sarah, Ellen & Stacy and it also happens to be Sarah's Golden birthday. Wearing Gold to this party is a must! I have yet to find a truly outrageous outfit... I am on the hunt. Something wicked sick, like solid gold and glitter. I told Sarah to play some Solid Gold dance tunes, and I would bust a move for her. I am also bringing a special treat... but I can't say what because it is a surprise. So now I leave my job, in order to make this special treat and then off to be with friends. I am not complaining... oh no, I am not... I am blessed with friends and fun times. I have also been invited to join a book club and I still want to take Hebrew classes. Time management classes might not be a bad idea either. Actually, I might have all the time in the world, rumor has it that i might have to go on strike for my union. I don't know what this will mean for me or my job, what i do know is that, this is not a good time of year to not be working. Well it is, because I can get stuff done, but no $$... but like I said, it's only a rumor and I am not really worried about the money. Things like that have a way of always working out. It will be nice to not have to work, that i can't complain about! But I know it is hard for others who have families and need their jobs desperately. I will hope and pray for the best.
In the mean time, I am excited for I have a lot more fun activities happening this weekend... parties and pub crawls and great walls of china. I will blog it all in the future. And I was thinking, that i know that this time is a gift, maybe my life will be different someday and I will have my hands full with other things, kids and that sort of stuff. So I do not take this time for granted. I am enjoying every minute of it!
I had this idea to take one picture everyday from Dec. 1 to Dec. 25 symbolizing what Christmas means to me. Then I might put it on a slide show, or should I blog the new picture everyday? That is 25 days of strait blogging. Am I up for the task? Maybe I will post the picture everyday and then on Christmas have a slide show running! mmmm I like it.

The Rooster Lives!

I always know when the temperature gets really cold out, because my car makes the "rooster" noise. It is this strange phenomenon that happens when the temp dips into the teens and below. You would have to hear the noise, but it really sounds like a like a rooster crossed with a tea kettle. I think it's a fan that must get cold and then when I'm going down the road it gets really loud. I've had this car for 4 years, and the first time it happened i was really freaked out. Now, I just use it as a gage for the weather. Whoooooo Whooooo Whooooo...
Well my place is officially decorated for Christmas\Hanukkah... I have my 3 Christmas trees up and my menorah waiting to be lit. I found this fabulous electric menorah at Target last year with flickering blue bulbs.
This year I actually scaled down my decorating. I know, you are thinking, but she said she has 3 trees! Bear in mind that they are all under 4 feet tall. I did find a pink Christmas tree at Micheal's, because I wanted to copy this tree I saw on the cover of Blueprint magazine.

Can it be that Christmas is 29 days away? I am planning my time wisely. There are parties to go to, cookies to bake, presents to be wrapped, and church to attend. I love going to church during the Christmas season. Not because I feel that much more spiritual at Christmas time, but it's just a pleasant reminder of what Christmas is about. It is going to be a busy month. Why is there something magical about Christmas? Is there such thing as a Christmas Miracle? I believe.
I also believe in traveling. My dear silly friend Liz is getting married in February and I am going down to San Antonio TEXAS for the wedding. Liz and I met while we were teaching at the same school in China. We quickly hit it off and enjoyed crazy adventures amidst the streets of Beijing. The next year Liz and I travelled throughout Europe, having even more crazy adventures. I will have to post some funny pics of us eating the Eiffel Tower! it's funny. she is funny. we are funny together. Anyway, I need to book my ticket soon.... I have never been to Texas, so this will be BIG! Isn't everything BIGGER in TEXAS?

The Times are a Changin'

On the front page of the Star Tribune today there is an article about my hometown elementary school. I went to Watertown-Mayer Elementary from first grade through sixth grade, and then off to the high school I went 7th-12th grade. Anyway, this article is about the brand new elementary school they just built. I guess the security there is top notch, the best around.
Here is the link to read more about it, if you are so inclined: http://www.startribune.com/west/story/1572425.html

I am just amazed and maybe feeling a little old, because Watertown has a population of about 3,000 now, and even there in a small farm town, security is a huge priority. Don't get me wrong, i believe security is needed these days, but I am just still a little surprised that Watertown is in need of taking these measures. I work at a suburban middle school, and I am always amazed that even at this school the doors are always locked and a security card is needed to get clearance, and there is a police liaison in the building at all times.
I guess what I am saying is, that in my childhood, I lived so freely in my neighborhood and at school. I didn't have to worry about child predators and kidnappers. Not that it wasn't out there, but it wasn't a horrible concern, especially in a small town. Kids these days have worries that i never even considered. It's a strange world.
Well a new Fort Knox elementary school now stands, and in town there is a building, built in 1911 that sits empty. What will become of my former elementary school? I hope they don't tear it down, that place holds too many memories. Running down the halls, choir and gym class, the little crappy library in the basement. But the best part was the theatre. It is such a beautiful theatre, with red velvet seats and red velvet curtains, and wonderful balcony. I wonder how many choir concerts i sang at in that theatre? How many talent shows and square dances did I participate in? Even in high school all our school plays were held there. I've acted on that stage many many times... what great memories. If they do tear it down, I will be first in line for one of those red velvet chairs!
I AM getting old!

We got snacks now...

Some of my favorite quotes come from the movie, Good Will Hunting. I love it and not only is it a good movie, with good quotes, but you gotta love the Boston accents. Reminds me of my BFF Rachel and her family, who hail from southern Massachusetts... wicked smaht!
You like apples? Well I got her numbah, how you like them apples!

Here are two dynamite recipes from our thanksgiving meal.

Apple and Sausage Corn Bread Stuffing
serves 8-10

INGREDIENTS
2 (8.5 ounce) packages dry corn muffin mix
1 pound turkey sausage
1 Granny Smith apple - peeled, cored and chopped
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped
8 slices white bread, cut into cubes
1 cup chicken stock
1 egg beaten
salt and pepper to taste


DIRECTIONS
Prepare corn muffin mix according to package directions. Cool and crumble.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Place sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain and set aside.
In a large skillet over medium heat, slowly cook and stir the mushrooms, celery, onion and garlic until soft.
In a large bowl, mix the crumbled prepared corn muffin mix, sausage, mushroom mixture, apple, bread, chicken stock, egg, salt and pepper.
Transfer the mixture to a medium baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven 45 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Cranberry Sauce With Orange, Rosemary & Pomegranate
Serves 6 to 8;

Make this bright, zingy sauce a day or two ahead; the flavors will only improve.
1 (12-oz.) pkg. fresh cranberries picked over and rinsed
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
2 tsps. minced fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp. finely grated orange zest
1 Pomegranate, seeds removed and saved.

1. Bring the cranberries, sugar, orange juice and rosemary to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 minute. (Some berries will have popped and some will remain whole.) Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the zest.
2. Cover and let cool to room temperature, add pomegranate seeds, then cover and refrigerate. 3. Return to room temperature before serving.

Christmas Cadbury Eggs???

I woke up early so I could run some errands before heading out to my parent's house. While i was at Walgreens, shopping the Christmas isle, there in the candy section was the unthinkable! A Christmas Cadbury Egg!!! You know the kind, with the egg shaped chocolate shell and the white\yellow gooey inside. The kind you can only find at Easter time! Ok, let's get one thing strait, I love Cadbury Eggs, love em' to death. But the fun thing about them, is that I can only have them once a year, thus making me want them more! And now here they are at Christmas. I just don't know how i feel about it. Maybe a little bittersweet. But now I am afraid they will start making Cadbury Eggs for all the Holidays! Then how will I be able to look forward to them? I'm nervous now. Maybe I should write the Cadbury Company a letter? I also have a little secret. My ex boyfriend, used to buy a ton of cadbury eggs for me, and hide them in his room. Then on a special occasion, he would magically present one to me. I figured he had a few saved somewhere, but not a whole drawer full. One day when i was in his room, and i'm sure if you ask him he will say I was snooping, but really I was looking for something else, and then there they were. I felt guilty for finding out his secret stash, so I never told him I knew. I'm almost certain he doesn't read this blog, but if he did happen to read this entry, sorry about finding the eggs.
I still wonder what he did with all those eggs? I hope he just threw them out, cause I don't want my eggs going to some other chick! :)

Thanks for the Memories...

Yesterday... what a day. Kelly and I not only survived but triumphed over our first Thanksgiving Meal. I arrived bright and early at the Vlach's to get the turkey in the oven. The day before I stuffed it with lemons, oranges, onions, garlic, rosemary, oregano & sage. Then i gave it a rub down with a mixture of herbs. So Thursday morn it was ready to be popped into the oven. And while that was being done I went back home and put the stuffing in the oven and made my final preparation before heading back over to the Vlach's. Good thing we only live 8 miles apart! So kelly, kyle and i spent the rest of the time, getting the other foods warmed up and ready to go when my parents got to their house. When we were in CUB the other day, Kelly saw this great idea for a pineapple and thus became our centerpiece. The food was on the table and we gave thanks and ate right at 2:00. Everything tasted delicious! Kelly and I really did pull it off, and really it was so nice to make a meal for others. Deliciously Simple! Afterwards we enjoyed playing a rousing game of Catch Phrase, while Kelly and I perused the store adds. Later after my parents left, Kelly and I crashed on her couch, almost comatose, not so much from the food, but from just the preparation. Kyle later came in and tried to get us motivated to see a movie, but no such luck. Earlier in the week we had thought we might go visit our grandma in the hospital, but she wasn't feeling up for visitors that day. But looking back, I don't know if Kelly and I would've even survived a trip to St. Cloud!
Anyway, since a movie was out, kelly decided she was ready to try her first bloody mary, so off to Champps it was. The three of us sat and talked, had a night cap and ate waffle fries. But both Kelly and i thought that there was just something missing from our day: CHOCOLATE! A brownie ice cream sundae was our choice and it didn't take too long to inhale that as well! And right when we thought our night was coming to a close, Kyle got paged to a local hospital. And seeing that he couldn't take us back and then go to the hospital, we taged along. He set us up in a nice little waiting room, where Kelly and i comfortably paged through magazines and watched Mean Girls. Finally, as kelly and I now both almost sleeping, Kyle came and collected us, and back to the Vlach's we went. And like Kelly said, this is the time in our lives to do things like this, soon there will be children and schedules, and not so much time to just go out for a late night rendezvous. She is very right. I am thankful for fun moments with my cousins, family and friends. I am also thankful for all the good things God has done for me throughout this year. I am blessed over and over.
Tonight I will decorate and watch a Christmas movie, one of many I watch up until Christmas. With the final movie being my all time favorite, It's a Wonderful Life. But now, after early power shopping with my mom, on this "Black Friday" (kelly and i thought people were referring to the stock market crash of the 20's... ooops), now I am ready to take a nap!
Thanksgiving blessings to all my faithful readers. I am thankful for you too!

On Star to the Rescue!

I had this whole day planned out. Visions of early CUB foods shopping and thanksgiving cooking dancing in my head. I even woke up singing, "It's CUBalicious, I be over in the meat just looking for some fishes." ( I like fergie songs, with a twist)
It was going to be a great day, no work, just putzing around getting ready for tomorrow. But sometimes your best laid out plans just don't work out. Life is general can be a lot like that. You plan your course, set sail, head north and then a storm comes, spins you around and before you know it you're heading south. That definitely seems to be the theme in my life. But I tend to look at it like this, Ok maybe I had my heart set on North, but God must have something better for me in the South...
Today, I slept in until 8:30, and when you are used to getting up at 5:30... 8:30 is definitely sleeping in. I wanted to get to CUB early before the chaos began, and then set home to cook and spend the rest of my day relaxing. No such luck. I went out to my car and my battery was completely dead. So I thought, OK, I will just have to ask someone to give it a jump. And as I got out of my car, I noticed that my hood was slightly open. Then I had a sneaking suspicion that something was very wrong. I opened my hood and Viola, NO BATTERY! Well, someone stole my battery and that's the way the story goes. I filed a police report, but what more could i do? I wasn't going to stress, cause what good would that do, besides I figured someone would help me out. Enter ON STAR to the Rescue! Kelly graciously drove me to Walmart for a battery and then to CUB for the ingredients I needed. Later that night Kyle stopped by to help install the battery... and I was on my way. Them Vlachs, they are good people! Now all the food is made, the stuffing, cranberries and the turkey is dressed. It all just needs to be popped into the oven tomorrow. I am exhausted. I took a shower and soon I will sleep and sleep.
I was a bit down today for a moment, just sad because of my limitations. But I am thankful to God that he provides the means and takes good care of me. Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful, and yes sir, that i am. Peace and Blessings!